Missouri Ag Department orders temporary halt to dicamba use

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Department of Agriculture has ordered a temporary end to the use and sales of products labeled for agricultural use that contain the herbicide dicamba, effective immediately.

The state has received more than 130 complaints this year from farmers who say the chemical has drifted onto their lands and damaged their crops. The agriculture department said in a news release Friday the drift has allegedly damaged thousands of acres of crops. The majority of damage has been reported in southeast Missouri.

The order says all on-farm applications of products containing dicamba must cease immediately.

Agriculture department director Chris Chinn says the order is temporary until the makers of the products, researchers and farmers can determine how to resume operations of the chemical this growing season, with agreed-upon conditions.